Thank You Martin- yes, that's how it's done- basically- and Matthew has
given us a few good follow up tips as well. I haven't owned a soldering
iron in many, many decades- so it's the old match stick. cig lighter,
flame-thrower options for me as well. Nothing like the smell fried gut
in the morning!
Also check- or double check for low spots on the neck, esp. near the
fingerboard/body joint. Sometimes there are nasty surprises. On one of
my lutes, the highest fret was a toss-up (to the builder) for a tied 9th
or the first (optional of course) wooden fret. Came tied, which I
prefer- but it's a low spot that requires the thickest fret of all.
Straight-edge on the fingerboard and careful sighting in a good light
are necessary here.
Dan
On 10/23/2016 12:48 PM, Matthew Daillie wrote:
On 23/10/2016 18:32, Martin Shepherd wrote:
Hi All,
A new video in the "tips" series - this time some help with tying frets:
https://youtu.be/Qs_pXOoBVLU
Best wishes,
Martin
Dear Martin,
Thanks for the video. Without wanting to question anything you
demonstrated I thought I might add a few points which I consider to be
important.
I think that it is advisable to have a set of fret gauges for a
particular instrument (often supplied by the maker) rather than just
measuring a fret to be replaced. Very often over time the diameters of
frets change considerably (the gut generally absorbs humidity and
becomes thicker) and even if one measures an old fret on the part that
was sitting on the back of the neck, it is not necessarily the correct
gauge for a replacement. It also imperative to measure thicknesses of
new fret gut with a micrometer as they rarely correspond exactly to
what the manufacturers note on the packet (especially if they have
been stored for some time). Once the new fret is in place it is always
good to check that there are no buzzes.
To avoid the issue of scratching a varnished neck (or a plain fruit
wood neck) with a knot, some people suggest using a slither of thin
plastic taken from an old credit card or the like which can be put
under the knot as one slides it into position. Some makers use a hard
wood for the fingerboard edging which overlaps the neck enough to be
able to place the knot on and so avoid damage to the softer wood on
the neck. I have also noticed that it is advisable to put the running
end of the fret through the knot in such a way as it comes out
parallel to the burnt end. In this way one makes sure the knot lies
flat and does not gouge a ridge into the neck.
I try to place the new fret as close as possible to the fret below it
(or the nut in the case of the first fret) so that when put into
position it becomes tight enough (you suggest one centimetre lower
than its final position which doesn't seem quite enough to me).
I have never used a soldering iron to burn the ends of fret gut but
find that good quality matches or a lighter with an adjustable flame
are perfectly safe as long as one holds the neck of the lute
horizontally so that the flame is above the part of the fret one
wishes to singe and one proceeds by gentle touches using the base of
the flame.
One last thing. When passing the fret gut under the strings, it's good
to check that no strings have been missed out before tying the knot.
There is nothing more annoying than starting to move a fret into
position and realising that a string has escaped your attention and is
above the fret rather than below it!
Best,
Matthew
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